New Haven
"The more beautiful a city is on the surface, the darker its underbelly is" - Tyrranean Proverb New Haven the capital of the Dominion of New Haven, and is a magically-inclined city ruled by dragons, and is the Holy City of Zythia. New Haven is built around a cluster of floating rocks, the paranormal terrain caused by a magical accident at the beginning of the New Age. New Haven is the most northerly of the City-States in Tyrrus, built upon the hills of the northern Drakevale, near the Wyrm river. It stands upon Gemheart Hill, which is rich in magical crystals. It is also the smallest of the city-states, being relatively new. The most notable feature of New Haven is the incredibly large chunks of earth that have been cleanly torn from the ground and now float in the sky. The largest of these is an enormous craggy structure at the centre of the city which can be seen for miles, and is, larger than the tallest tower in the city. The bottom quarter of this rock is still below ground, but its companions - a collection of rocks that range from half to a sixth of its size - float statically near it. It is as if the ground has been paused in the process of exploding outwards. Green grass sits atop these levitating crags, and they are surrounded by a network of bridges and elevators. The buildings themselves sprawl outwards from the centre. They are not built in an efficient, urban way, like many modern cities, but nor does the city have a primitive or medieval look. The city was not constructed by a faceless building administration, the people who built it were creative and optimistic. They strove for a traditional style reminiscent of their past, but with modern construction and wealth. Most of the cities pathways and walls are constructed with a sandstone-like material, though many of these walls appear to be decorative. The lower portions of many buildings are also made from this cream rock, though the rest is colourful painted plaster, or wooden cladding. The roofs are mostly peaked, and made with colourful slate of red, blue, or green, depending on the portion of the city you happen to be in. The buildings are hardly ever boring rectangles, and many have short towers jutting from them. Gardens and plants are well cultivated across the city, and it is difficult to go far without spotting some vivid flowers or green verges. Atop the floating rocks at the centre of the city, beautifully extravagant mansions and castles stand tall, overlooking the rest of the city. At the centre of these is an enormous gilded palace with a single massive tower stretching high into the sky. Up there, in the clouds, the occasional bright blue dragon or wyvern can be spotted. Also atop the rocks is another large castle-like building, with many great halls and towers, an untamed forest at its centre in the courtyard. This is the Grand Academy of New Haven, the most prestigious magical academy in Tyrrus, and perhaps the world. At the centre of the city, beneath the floating crags, is a large ravine known as “The Rift”. This is the hole that was left after the rocks were torn from the ground, and it is permanently cast in darkness by the shadow of the colossal boulders. Though it may not seem too bad at first glance, New Haven is rife with infighting among its leaders, and threats from deep below Gemheart Hill. The people who live in New Haven are New Havenites. History "Optimism built New Haven, now greed is tearing it apart" - Archmage Lorian Windstorm, shortly before being assassinated. Origins New Haven has its origins in the ancient city of Haven (now referred to as Old Haven). Haven was a centre of magical learning, and the seat of power for the Archmages of Tyrrus. However, after Zaikerik the Betrayer's Black Legion tore through the city in 20.15, it became a husk of its former glory. Much of the magical infrastructure that had been placed in the city had been disrupted and became unstable; such as the arcane guards, automated sentry turrets that shot bolts of magic. Though much of the population of the city had survived, it had become uninhabitable. The refugees of Haven fled the city, many taking shelter in nearby settlements. However, Haven had always been far larger than its neighbours, and even though its populated had been quartered, there were still far too many for these towns and villages to accept. The Arch-Priest of Zythia, Faslain, claimed to have heard a message from the dragonqueen herself, telling them to build anew in the northern hills. The senators of Haven ignored this and stayed in towns like Fordington and Bridgewater Crossing, however, the magical community of the city, and anyone loyal to the dragons, followed Arch-Priest Faslain. By 20.18, a small town had begun to sprout in the Drakevale hills, and the Archmages of Haven aided greatly in the building efforts. Cassius Starlight, a renowned hero of Tyrrus, was instrumental in motivating the refugees, and organising construction. The town was soon optimistically named "New Haven", and Cassius was elected to be its Lord. After the Worldshaking, a bizarre thing happened near New Haven. All around Gemheart Hill, large chunks of earth ripped themselves free of the ground and began to float in the air. This revealed large deposits of valuable magical crystals. The New Havenites got to work mining these, and used the vast wealth of this operation to expand the town to cover Gemheart Hill. The main people leading the construction efforts, acting as spokespeople for the fledging city, and keeping everything running smoothly were Arch-Priest Faslain, Lord Cassius Starlight, and Archmage Sylus Duskfyre. Other archmages aided, but were often busy with problems in their own cities. The Dragon Takeover In the year 20.22, the city was visited by Thaddeus Pureborn and a couple of arcane dragons in human form. They conversed with the leaders of the city, and stated that Zythia was proud of what had been achieved here, and wanted to claim it as her holy city. As great as this sounded, it would involved dragons ruling above the humans of the city. Arch-Priest Faslain was eager to accept, but Lord Starlight and Archmage Duskfyre were unconvinced. Zythia's ambassadors insisted, but the mages didn't want to be ruled by dragons. In the year 20.24, Faslain recieved a message from Zythia revealing an approaching Hirokiri army of demons and wild beasts. The city, which barely had a militia, had no hope against such a force. Faslain pleaded with the other leaders to ask for the protection of the dragons, but Lord Starlight was stubborn. When the army of Hirokiri berserkers, blood demons, and feral gorroths arrived, the only defenders were an untrained militia, apprentice mages, and a few powerful Archmages. However, before the screaming horde could arrive, radiant blue dragons descended from the clouds and shot streams of arcane power at the Hirokiri army. However, the Hirokiri had been planning for this, and as soon as the dragons emerged, a flock of shadow demons flew forth and clustered around the arcane beasts. Arch-Priest Faslain was able to aid in destroying the demon flock, though not before one dragon was brought down by their dark claws. At the end of the battle, the forces of New Haven were depleted, but the city was untouched, and the demon army was scattered. The citizens of New Haven had witnessed how the dragons were willing to give their lives for them, and how they had aided without being asked, and were enthralled. This time, when Thaddeus came forth with the offer publicly, Lord Starlight could only say yes. Immediately afterwards, the royal dragon Mirvalbadir was placed in power, and the Archmage's Council was reformed. All prior members of the council were removed, other than those in New Haven. City Districts The districts of new haven are laid out in a circle formation, with the Peaks at the centre. Most districts are named after a wide central road that passes through that district, like the spokes of a wheel. The Peaks The Peaks of New Haven are the hovering boulders at the centre of the city, where most governmental buildings are constructed and where the rulers of the city live. Here can be found the Grand Academy, the Magocratic Senate, and the mansions of several notable archmages. For most, the only way to get here is the elevators, though the Teleportorium, a room filled with teleportation circles, is also here and is a method for important people and foreign dignitaries to travel up quickly. The New Citadel At the centre of the city, atop the tallest peak, the New Citadel takes up an entire district of its own due to its enormous size and its towering spires. Here is where the Immortal Emperor lives, and where the Archmages gather to discuss important affairs. It is said that the New Citadel, though not as grand as the old one, has enough space for a Royal Dragon to live comfortably. Steiner's Road Steiner's Path is a middle-class residential district of the city. It is also where the New Haven branch of the Steiner Institute of Medicine is located. Cassius Avenue Cassius Avenue is the largest road in the city, and is a thriving mercantile district. Redcliffe Way Redcliffe Way is a small and modest district, notable for the various curiosity shops and enchanting services that can be found there. Cedric's Street Cedric's Street is a wealthy district, where many libraries and schools are located. Duskfyre Fort Duskfyre Fort is a fortified district, which contains the headquarters of the Vigilants, and several armouries. The Chapel of Livia is located here too. Faslain's Path Faslain's Path is an incredibly holy district of the city, with the Cathedral of Zythia at its centre. Elohanne's Watch Elohanne's Watch is a small district tucked away, notable for the various shrines of 'lesser' gods, of all kinds, even dark. The Shrine of Velkyn is located here too. The Rift The Rift is the hole at the centre of the city, and is the centre of New Haven's industry. Though some factories sit at the edge of this crater, most are within the pit. Constantly in shadow and out of sight, the ugliness of the slums and mines in the rift can't be seen from the surface, ensuring that New Haven remains beautiful. The Rift contains an abundance of magical crystals, so great efforts have been taken to mine them, despite the dangers. The lower sections of the rift are soaked in magical energies, resulting in magical accidents, and strange creatures emerging. The people who live in the rift are usually quite poor, and there is a thriving criminal underworld down there.